chennai

When `Gandhi’ cleaned a Chennai lake

In the context of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, nothing could be more apt. Yet it was ironic to find `Mahatma Gandhi’ engaged in cleaning Porur lake in Chennai. 

As part of the Chennai Plogging initiative – a new fitness trend where picking up litter and jogging are combined – Kanagaraj, the 76-year-old who dresses up as Mahatma Gandhi was one of the 550 volunteers who took part in the initiative to clear up four tonnes of garbage, mostly plastic. The event’s tagline in fact, was `pick up a piece of plastic on every turn’.

At the end of the day, the Greater Chennai Corporation that had spearheaded the citizen initiative, found that half the lake had been cleaned up and shall continue the drive next Sunday as well. 

“Plogging is a great way to take care of one’s own health and the environment’s health at the same time,” says Alby John, Deputy Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation in charge of the South Region. 

In order to spread the `Go Green’ message, all volunteers were given a souvenir after the event, a jute bag full of compost made at the Corporation’s micro compost centres.

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